[Federal Register: August 4, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 150)]
[Notices]
[Page 45236-45238]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04au08-56]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2008-N0114; 80221-1113-0000-C2]
Draft Revised Recovery Plan for Mojave Population of the Desert
Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability for review and comment.
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SUMMARY: We, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft revised recovery plan for the Mojave population
of the desert tortoise for public review and comment.
DATES: We must receive any comments on the draft recovery plan on or
before November 3, 2008.
ADDRESSES: The draft recovery plan and reference materials are
available for inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours
at the following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Fish
and Wildlife Office, 1340
[[Page 45237]]
Financial Boulevard, Suite 234, Reno, NV 89502 (telephone: 775-861-
6300). Submitted comments regarding the draft revised recovery plan
will also be available for public inspection, by appointment, during
normal business hours following the public review and comment period.
Requests for copies of the draft revised recovery plan and submission
of written comments or materials regarding the plan should be addressed
to the Field Supervisor at the above address. You may also submit
electronic comments on the recovery plan to: DTrecovery@fws.gov. An
electronic copy of the draft recovery plan is available at: http://
endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Averill-Murray, Desert Tortoise
Recovery Coordinator, at the above address or telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq. ) and our endangered species program. Recovery means improvement
of the status of listed species to the point at which listing is no
longer required under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the
Act. Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the
conservation of the species, establish criteria for downlisting or
delisting listed species, and estimate time and cost for implementing
the measures needed for recovery. The Recovery Plan for the Mojave
Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was first
published in 1994 wherein the status of the species, threats, recovery
actions and recovery criteria were presented. Since that time a great
deal of effort has been dedicated to recovery and conservation
activities, and additional information has been obtained through
research and observation that allows us to better focus our recovery
strategy. The revised recovery plan for the Mojave Population of the
desert tortoise is the focus of this notice.
Section 4(f) of the Act directs the Secretaries of Interior and
Commerce to develop and implement recovery plans for species listed as
endangered or threatened, unless such plans will not promote the
conservation of the species. We and the National Marine Fisheries
Service, as appropriate, have been delegated responsibility for
administering the Act. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public
notice, and an opportunity for public review and comment, be provided
during development of recovery plans. We will consider all information
presented during the public comment period on each new or revised
recovery plan. Substantive comments may or may not result in changes to
a recovery plan. However, any substantive comments regarding recovery
plan implementation will be forwarded to appropriate Federal agencies
or other interested entities so that they can take these comments into
account during the implementation of their respective management
programs. Individual responses to submitted comments will not be
provided.
The desert tortoise is a large, herbivorous reptile that can reach
20 to 38 centimeters (cm) (8 to 15 inches (in)) in carapace length and
10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) in shell height. Hatchlings emerge from eggs at
about 5 cm (2 in) in length. Adults have a domed carapace and
relatively flat, unhinged plastrons (lower shells). Their shells are
high-domed and greenish-tan to dark brown in color with tan scute
(horny plate on the shell) centers. Adult desert tortoises weigh 3.6 to
6.8 kilograms (8 to 15 pounds). The forelimbs have heavy, claw-like
scales and are flattened for digging. Hind limbs are more elephantine.
Throughout most of the Mojave Desert, the desert tortoise occupies
a variety of habitats: From flats and slopes dominated by creosote bush
(Larrea tridentata) scrub at lower elevations, to rocky slopes in the
blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) scrub, and juniper (Juniperus spp.)
woodland interface at higher elevations. Records of desert tortoises
range from below sea level to an elevation of 2,225 meters (m) (7,300
feet (ft)), with the most favorable habitat at elevations between 305
and 914 m (1,000 and 3,000 ft). Desert tortoises most commonly occur on
gently sloping terrain with sandy-gravel soils that are friable for
burrowing and where there is sparse cover of low-growing shrubs and a
high diversity of both perennial and annual plants.
The desert tortoise occurs in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in
southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and the southwestern tip
of Utah in the United States, as well as in Sonora and northern Sinaloa
in Mexico. The listed Mojave population of the desert tortoise includes
those animals living north and west of the Colorado River in the Mojave
Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, and southwestern Utah, and in
the Sonoran (Colorado) Desert in California. A recovery plan was
published in 1994 and critical habitat was also designated in all four
States supporting the species.
Three other tortoise species in the genus Gopherus occur in the
United States, and another occurs in Mexico; however, all are
geographically separated from the Mojave population. The Sonoran
population of the desert tortoise is significantly different both
genetically and ecologically, but could be confused visually with
tortoises of the Mojave population; therefore, we determined the
Sonoran population also warranted protection as a threatened species
under section 4(e) of the Endangered Species Act (similarity of
appearance) when located outside of its natural range.
The vast majority of threats to the desert tortoise or its habitat
are associated with human land uses. The threats identified in the 1994
Recovery Plan, and that formed the basis for listing the tortoise as a
threatened species, continue to affect the species. Habitat loss,
degradation, and fragmentation from urbanization, off-highway vehicle
use in the desert, linear features such as roads and utility corridors,
livestock grazing and mining, and military activities were cited as
some of the primary reasons for the decline in desert tortoise
populations. Disease and increased incidence of fire in the Mojave
Desert have also been implicated in desert tortoise declines.
The data amassed between 1979 and 2002 from permanent study plots
throughout the range of the species were used to explore regional and
recovery-unit-level analyses and trends, and to develop within-
population spatial analyses at various scales on the landscape and in
different management units. Despite the challenges in comparing data
from year to year, the apparent downward trend in desert tortoise
populations in the western portion of the range that was identified at
the time of listing is considered ongoing. Results from other portions
of the range were inconclusive, but recent surveys of some populations
found too few tortoises to produce population estimates, suggesting
that declines may have occurred more broadly.
Collectively, the various analyses that have been performed do not
suggest that implementation of specific management actions over time
has abated declines of, or resulted in detectable increases in, desert
tortoise populations across most of the range. The life history of the
species (i.e., delayed reproductive maturity, low reproductive rates,
and relatively high mortality early in life) is such that observing
relatively rapid increases in populations is highly unlikely, even over
the 23-year monitoring period evaluated.
[[Page 45238]]
Despite the clear demonstration that the threats identified at the
time of listing impact individual tortoises, there are few data
available to evaluate or quantify the effects of threats on desert
tortoise populations. While current research results can lead to
predictions about how local tortoise abundance should be affected by
the presence of threats, quantitative estimates of the magnitude of
these threats, or of their relative importance, have not yet been
developed.
While precise correlations between the multitude of threats and
desert tortoise populations have not been clearly shown, a great deal
of effort has been put forth by research scientists and land managers
to actively conserve the species. Substantive datasets pertaining to
disease, non-native invasive plant species, and fire have been
assembled over the years that will be used to inform decisions relative
to desert tortoise recovery. Conservation actions such as land
acquisitions, installing protective fencing, retiring grazing
allotments, limiting off-highway vehicle access, and implementing
restoration projects have been important recovery and management
efforts based on our current state of knowledge regarding the threats
facing the species.
The revised strategy emphasizes partnerships to direct and maintain
focus on implementing recovery actions and a system to track
implementation and effectiveness of those actions. The strategic
elements listed herein are part of a multi-faceted approach designed to
improve the 1994 Recovery Plan. The goals of the revised recovery plan
are recovery and delisting of the desert tortoise. The objectives and
recovery criteria address demography (maintain self-sustaining
populations of desert tortoises within each recovery unit into the
future); distribution (maintain well-distributed populations of desert
tortoises throughout each recovery unit); and habitat (ensure that
habitat within each recovery unit is protected and managed to support
long-term viability of desert tortoise populations. The strategic
elements include the following: (1) Develop, support, and build
partnerships to facilitate recovery; (2) protect existing populations
and habitat, instituting habitat restoration where necessary; (3)
augment depleted populations in a strategic, experimental manner; (4)
monitor progress toward recovery, includes population trend and
effectiveness monitoring; (5) conduct applied research and modeling in
support of recovery efforts within a strategic framework; and (6)
implement a formal adaptive management program that integrates new
information and utilizes conceptual models that link management actions
to predicted responses by desert tortoise populations or their habitat.
The success of this revised recovery strategy will rely heavily upon
the involvement of our partners and our commitment to implementing the
strategic elements listed above coupled with a functioning adaptive
management program.
Public Comments Solicited
We solicit written comments on the draft revised recovery plan
described in this notice. All comments received by the date specified
above will be considered in development of a final revised recovery
plan for the Mojave population of the desert tortoise.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Jim A. Bartel,
Acting Regional Director, Region 8, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E8-17520 Filed 8-1-08; 8:45 am]
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